Summer Jam 2016: a disappointment and a spectacle.

HOT97 Summer Jam, arguably the biggest one-day hip hop festival on the planet, comprises of two acts: The Festival Stage and the Stadium Stage. This year, Chance the Rapper, Tory Lanez, Curren$y, and a host of others had been scheduled to perform during the afternoon on the Festival Stage, located in Lot G of the vast Metlife Stadium parking lot. To the dismay of thousands, torrential rains and the threat of thunderstorms forced HOT97 to cancel the Festival Stage and delay the Stadium Stage by over three hours in hopes that the rain would subside, and thunderclouds would steer clear of East Rutherford, NJ.

The weather gods abided. By 8:30, the sun had set and the skies had cleared. And so, MetLife Stadium filled with hip hop fans in good spirits. The anticipation was palpable. The bill was stacked: Future, Terror Squad, Pusha T & Big Sean & G.O.O.D Music, DJ Khaled & Friends, A$AP Rocky & A$AP Ferg, Bryson Tiller, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Tinashe, and Kid Ink were scheduled to perform. Given the major delays, it was understood that several of the acts would be cut. The question was: who?

Maino, Uncle Murda, & G.O.O.D. Music

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Around 9:30, the show formally began with a surprise performance from Maino & Uncle Murda. Maino proudly announced that this was his sixth time gracing the Summer Jam stage. The crowd was surprised and perhaps unenthused to see Maino & Uncle Murda but supportive nevertheless. The duo performed with vigor, dipping into their deep catalogue and busting out two of Brooklyn’s recent viral sensations by inviting 2 Milly on stage for “Milly Rock” and honoring Bobby Shmurda with a lukewarm rendition of “Hot Nigga.” To the idealist, playing these songs signified an ode to Maino’s home borough/domain/fiefdom (King of Brooklyn!!). To the cynic, Maino used these songs as a crutch to compensate for his lack of relevance. Everyone can agree that, given the time constraints, there’s no way Maino and Uncle Murda should have been allotted 25+ minutes of stage time.

Still, things were looking up. G.O.O.D. Music took the stage and the crowd went berserk, for they were suddenly in the presence of Kanye West. Six of them stood in line, facing the crowd: Kanye, Pusha T. Travis Scott, Desiigner, Big Sean, & honorary G.O.O.D. Musician 2 Chainz. Each of them was decked out in all black and rocking the yet-unreleased Yeezy 750 Boosts. Despite the egalitarian nature of their formation, attire and of the set they were about perform, I experienced a distinct sense that I was not worthy to be in the same building as Kanye West.

The G.O.O.D. Music team kicked things off with their newest uberposse cut “Champions.” The song predicted Desiigner’s role for the majority of the set: ad-lib duty. Together they performed roughly 15 songs in all, including a few more posse cuts (“Mercy” was exceptionally lit”), but mostly making room for each G.O.O.D. Musician to shine individually. Pusha performed “Grindin’”. Travis Scott performed “Upper Echelon”. 2 Chainz performed “Watch Out”. Big Sean performed “IDFWU.” Kanye performed a slew of songs from The Life of Pablo, including “Famous”, “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1”, and “Pt. 2” allowing for a perfect segue into the grand finale. You guessed it… “Panda”.

By this point, Desiigner had ripped off his black t-shirt to reveal white wife beater, which, in contrast to the still-black attire of the rest of the G.O.O.D. Music contingent, endowed him with something of a Jesus-like quality. He seized the moment, not so much rapping the infectious “Panda” bars so much as using the opportunity to rotate through his core repertoire of dance moves: a vicious dab, a frenzied milly rock, and his trademark toss of the mic high up into the air.

Bryson Tiller & Terror Squad

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Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images

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Next: Bryson Tiller. His understated cool, humility, and unimpeachable catalog of music made for a rock-solid but ultimately forgettable performance. Pen Griffey, who has apparently now moved on to the slightly less inspiring moniker “Pen Affleck”, had the ladies in the audience singing along to every word as he ran through the majority of the TRAPSOULtracklist. The second most exciting thing that happened during Tiller’s set was Fabolous made a brief appearance to perform his “Sorry Not Sorry” remix.

The single most exciting thing that happened was when Tiller explained how far he had come in the past year. A year ago, he was just a regular dude, he explained, a humble everyman who shopped at Target and was nearly ready to give up a music career. Anything is possible!!!!

After an enthusiastic DJ set from HOT97 stalwart Funkmaster Flex, Fat Joe and Remy Ma took the stage for a Terror Squad reunion. In case you haven’t been attention, we’re in the midst of something of a Terror Squad renaissance. “All The Way Up” is a dark horse contender for song of the summer. Joe and Remy invited their fellow Bronx native French Montana on stage to rap the remix of their new hit (no Hov appearance, sadly). Backed by a squadron of dancers in full geisha attire, French called the remix the "biggest song of the night” -- a dubious, but not totally outlandish, claim.

Despite the modern theatrics, and Joe and Remy focused on entertaining the crowd with such older jams as “New York,” “Whateva,” “Make It Rain,” and the timeless Storch-produced banger ”Lean Back.” Highlights included a guest appearance from Ashanti, looking sexy as ever in a sequined aquamarine leotard, to assist Joe on “What’s Luv,” and a Big Pun medley. Needless to say, if Big Pun was still alive, this would have usurped the G.O.O.D. Music set as the most lit performance of the evening.

A video posted by French Montana (@frenchmontana) on Jun 5, 2016 at 8:53pm PDT

A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky, & DJ Khaled & Friends

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A massive brawl broke in the audience shortly after Terror Squad left the stage. It occurred on the field, which was populated primarily chairs and humans, and it soon escalated into a full on hurricane of flying chairs. Straight outta Monday Night Raw.

The chair brawl delayed the show for nearly 30 minutes as the HOT97 brass were careful to restore order. Which meant 30 more minutes of Funkmaster Flex.

The second most lit portion of the night (after the G.O.O.D. Music set) was the performance from A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky. Short and sweet, Ferg and Rocky stuck to the strictly bangers playbook, busting out “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye II,” “Yamborghini High,” “Work,” and “Shabba,” before closing with Ferg’s “New Level.” Also of note, the stage was swarming with strippers during the majority of their set.

Next up: DJ Khaled. The Snapchat Gawd delivered on his “DJ Khaled & Friends” billing, bringing out an onslaught of guests that included Rick Ross, Yo Gotti, Ty Dolla $ign, O.T. Genasis, Mavado, The LOX, M.O.P., Busta Rhymes, and Kent Jones.Halfway through the set, Khaled ripped off his shirt and let is portentous gut/tits hang out despite protestations from the crowd.

Khaled’s most important guest was Usher -- but Usher never got to perform. MetLife Stadium cut short Khaled’s set shortly after 1 AM. Which means that Future, the headliner, never performed, despite being in the building. “Radio station told me to leave…major pump fake,” the Atlanta rapper tweeted. “Totally satisfied & happy wit hot 97 always showing love spinning my records…misunderstood,dnt play Yoself,” he clarified shortly after.

The brevity of Summer Jam 2016 -- three and half hours, as opposed to the usual 11 -- robbed fans of certain joys of Summer Jam, such as Troy Ave’s airplane banner circling MetLife Stadium, instructing everyone to go buy Major Without a Deal. (A new standard of excellence in aerial advertising was set that day). For the most party was no one to blame but the weather gods. However, HOT97 should be held responsible for allowing Maino and Uncle Murda nearly 30 minutes of stage time and Funk Flex nearly 50 minutes if stage time when they could have been giving those precious minutes to artists like Future, Usher, & Young Thug. Fans were robbed of an experience they paid not insignificant sums of money to witness. Despite the terrible weather and cancellation rumors, the crowd was still utterly packed and vibrating with a powerful energy. The crowd showed up. The crowd was ready. Shoutout to all the fans who stuck around. You the real MVPs.